Mustafi Rejects Marca’s ‘Second World’s Worst Defender’ Tag
Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi has rejected the results of a poll conducted by Spanish publication Marca, that rated him as the second worst defender in the world, behind Manchester United’s Phil Jones.
150,000 votes were cast by readers of the Marca newspaper with Jones garnering 47 percent of the total votes to be crowned champion while Mustafi, who won the FIFA World Cup with Germany in 2014, was not too far behind with 35 percent votes.
The 27-year-old former Valencia defender has however questioned the accuracy of the survey Marca conducted, insisting he would have been much more concerned if the voting had been done by top-level coaches.
Asked bluntly whether he is the world’s second worst defender, as Marca‘s poll suggests, Mustafi told Spiegel: ‘No, I do not think so.
‘I would think about it more seriously if it had been a survey among the best coaches in Europe.
‘In the first two years after my move to Arsenal in 2016, things went very well for me. I saw myself as a top performer. But shortly after Christmas 2018 there was a kink.
‘I made a few mistakes and they produced a reaction that I’ve never experienced before.’
Mustafi is yet to appear in the Premier League for Arsenal this season as the acquisition of David Luiz has further pushed him down the pecking order in the centre of the Gunners’ defence.
The German international has however featured twice in the Europa League and once in the Carabao Cup with Arsenal yet to concede a goal when he has featured.
Mustafi joined Arsenal from Valencia in the summer of 2016 but a lack of first team opportunities in recent times saw him linked with a move away from the Emirates stadium in the summer transfer window, and he is keen to explore his options in January if his situation does not improve.
‘In the summer there were considerations to change the club but there wasn’t an option that all sides would have been happy with,’ he added.
‘Arsenal also attached some conditions to a possible departure despite the statements.
‘And I knew the next change is going to be extremely important in order to write a positive chapter in my career again.
‘If I move somewhere where it doesn’t really fit, the situation couldn’t improve much so I stayed.
‘I am open for the future – also for the Bundesliga.’
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